By Emma Berry
Newmarket, UK–Two otherwise steady sessions of trade at Park Paddocks on Friday each enjoyed a notable highlight, the first coming with the sale of lot 1732, a filly from the second crop of Darley stallion Farhh (GB) at 110,000gns.
A mid-May foal, the half-sister to G2 Gimcrack S. runner-up Taajub (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) was bought by Joe Foley for Clipper Logistics boss Steve Parkin, who had also bought the top lot on the opening day of Book 3. Bred by Rabbah, the filly was consigned by Barton Stud.
“She has just flourished since we've had her. She is a gorgeous filly,” said manager Tom Blaine.
Foley admitted to being a big fan of Farhh, who has sired four winners in his relatively small first crop including the G3 Acomb S. winner Wells Farhh Go (GB). He added, “She is by an exciting young sire and is gorgeous filly–I was surprised to see her here today.”
Farhh has had six yearlings offered in Book 3 so far and is the leading sire by average price at 52,500gns.
Matt Coleman signed for a Farhh colt (lot 1773) out of a Medicean (GB) half-sister to G3 Park Express S. winner Oh Goodness Me (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), also from Houghton Bloodstock, at 40,000gns. Meanwhile the shrewd yearling judge Karl Burke, who saddled another Group 1 winner on Friday courtesy of the victory of Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the Dubai Fillies' Mile, also picked up a colt (lot 1837) by the stallion for just 10,000gns.
Rabbah Bloodstock have been vendors as well as purchasers at the sale and the team currently heads the buyers' table with 15 bought for 436,000gns.
Elkington On A High With Mukhadram
There was a sudden flurry of bidding during the evening session when lot 1787, Elkington Stud's homebred colt by first-season sire Mukhadram (GB), was the subject of a lively duel between Matt Coleman and Amanda Skiffington. The lady was not for turning and Skiffington ended up the winner, going to 90,000gns to claim the colt for an unnamed client. The son of the Dalakhani (Ire) mare Skyrider (Ire), a sister to Italian Group 3 winner Gothic Dance (Ire), will be trained at Beckhampton by Roger Charlton, who also trained his dam.
The sale marked a notable benchmark for Jane Keir's Oxfordshire-based Elkington Stud, which is home to eight broodmares and is managed for the lawyer by Natalie Folland.
“The team at home have done an absolutely fantastic job with the horses for this sale,” said Keir. “I had two fillies in very early on the first day and then this colt on Friday night so I thought we might be in trouble but they have all sold well. The colt has just really blossomed in the last fortnight and he has been an absolute pleasure to deal with.”
She added, “Charlie Gordon-Watson bought Skyrider for me for 6,000gns when I started the farm seven years ago. I loved Mukhadram as a racehorse and we thought the mare needed a bit of size so we decided to use him. This is the best result we've had at the sales–we're only a small farm and the profits will all go back into the horse.”
Williamson Goes For Gold
Norman Williamson added a Havana Gold colt (lot 1746) to his breeze-up team for next season when bidding 42,000gns along with Mags O'Toole for the Houghton Bloodstock-consigned son of the treble winner Reyamour (GB) (Azamour {Ire}).
“The sire has been going very well, I have another at home by him–I like them. He will be back to breeze, he's a good walker with a bit of scope,” said the pinhooker.
Bred by Glebe Farm Stud, the colt's juvenile half-sister Tata Pila (GB) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) was placed in the Listed Premio Alessandro this season.
With around 88 lots to be offered today from 9.30am, a bolstered Book 3 is holding up reasonably well. The median on Friday was down by 12% to 7,500gns, but the average was up by 7% at 11,492. Turnover increased by 28% to 1,792,700gns from the sale of 156 horses–26 more than last year–from 201 offered.
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